How to Remove Bad Backlinks

Search engines still treat links as votes of confidence, but not all votes are created equal. Knowing how to remove bad backlinks is essential for protecting organic rankings, reclaiming lost traffic, and keeping your site out of manual actions.

 This guide walks you through why low-quality links hurt, how to identify the worst offenders, a step-by-step removal workflow you can follow today, and how to rebuild a healthier profile that attracts the strongest backlinks. Read this from start to finish, and you’ll have a reproducible playbook you can use on any site, anywhere.

Why bad backlinks matter (and why they’re not just an annoyance)

Not every low-quality link will push your site into the penalty box, but a cluster of spammy or manipulative links can degrade trust signals and invite algorithmic demotion or manual actions. Search engines evaluate where links come from, the relevance and context around them, anchor text patterns, and whether they appear as part of a clear link scheme

Bad backlinks often come from scraped directories, private blog networks, comment spam, hacked sites, or low-quality directories. Left unchecked, they sabotage the trust you’re trying to build with high-value content and the strongest backlinks you earn via outreach, PR, or partnerships.

How to recognize bad backlinks 

Bad backlinks often share common traits. A toxic link profile usually contains many links from domains with thin or auto-generated content, sites with no organic traffic, or pages that exist solely to sell links. 

You might also see an unnaturally high concentration of exact-match anchor text pointing to money pages, a sudden spike in referring domains from unrelated niches, or links from foreign-language pages with low relevance.

 Another telling sign is when your backlink profile contains many links coming from networks of sites that interlink excessively. Those signs should trigger a deeper audit.

Preparation: what you need before you begin

Before attempting removal, gather your data. Export a raw backlink list from Google Search Console, then cross-reference it with one or two third-party link crawlers such as Ahrefs, Moz, Majestic, or SEMrush. These tools will highlight metrics like domain rating, referring domain counts, and anchor text distribution.

 Keep the raw exports safe; you’ll need them for a disavow file and for documentation if you ever submit a reconsideration request. At this stage, think in terms of evidence: screenshots, link details, dates, and the original referring URL are your audit currency.

How to Remove Bad Backlinks — Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1 — Run a full backlink audit and consolidate sources. Combine Google Search Console exports with data from at least one third-party crawler to create a master list of backlinks. Discrepancies are normal; each tool discovers slightly different links. Consolidate by URL and referring domain, and keep a copy of each raw export.

Step 2 — Score each link for risk. For each referring page, review authority signals (domain rating/DA), content quality, relevancy to your site, and the anchor text used. If a referring page has thin content, is part of a Clearly Spammy Site, or shows unnatural anchor text patterns, assign it a high-risk score. Save screenshots of any egregiously spammy pages as evidence.

Step 3 — Prioritize removal candidates. You will rarely need to disavow every low-quality link. Focus first on links that are obviously manipulative, links that correlate with traffic drops, and any links highlighted in manual action messages from Google Search Console. Prioritize by risk and potential impact so you can manage outreach efficiently.

Step 4 — Attempt outreach to webmasters. For each high-priority link, find contact details for the webmaster or site owner and send a polite, factual removal request. Keep your message short: identify the exact URL linking to you, explain why you are requesting removal, and include the target URL and suggested anchor text if relevant. Track each request: date sent, response, and outcome. Many legitimate sites will comply if the request is reasonable and professional.

Step 5 — Prepare a disavow file only after outreach. Disavow is a powerful and blunt instrument; use it only for links you cannot remove manually. Create a text file listing domains or specific URLs you want Google to ignore, with comments explaining your reasoning where helpful. Follow Google’s formatting precisely. 

Upload the file via Google Search Console’s disavow links tool. Disavow does not remove links from the web — it tells Google to treat them as if they do not exist for ranking purposes.

Step 6 — Monitor and document post-disavow changes. After you upload a disavow file, maintain careful records of which domains and URLs were disavowed, the dates you uploaded, and the outreach attempts you made. Monitor organic performance, referral traffic, and the backlink profile over the following weeks and months to measure recovery. Keep your documentation in case you need to submit a reconsideration request.

Step 7 — Submit a reconsideration request if you had manual action. If Google issued a manual action against your site because of unnatural links, after you’ve completed outreach and disavowed the unreachable links, prepare a clear, chronological reconsideration request. Explain what you found, summarize the removal attempts, include links to your disavow file, and attach evidence of outreach. Be concise, factual, and transparent.

Step 8 — Rebuild with quality links. Removing the worst links clears the path but does not replace the lost trust signals. Invest in content that naturally attracts the strongest backlinks: long-form research, original data, industry assets, and strategic partnerships. Outreach and PR combined with content that people want to cite are the safest, most sustainable ways to rebuild.

Step 9 — Put a long-term link hygiene process in place. Schedule quarterly backlink audits, set up alerts for sudden spikes in referring domains, and keep a running list of any questionable outreach you’ve purchased or accepted historically, so future audits are easier. Prevention beats cleanup.

Outreach email template

Use a factual, polite tone. Here’s a simple paragraph you can adapt and paste into email clients: identify the offending page and the specific URL on your site that is linked, ask for removal, and offer the exact URL or code to change or delete. Keep each message individualized and include the date you first noticed the link. Record the response and follow up once if there’s no reply after a reasonable interval.

Common mistakes people make when removing bad backlinks

A frequent error is over-disavowing: adding large swathes of domains to a disavow file without carefully documenting why each one is harmful. This can throw out legitimate, low-value links that still contributed to your site’s trust signals. Another trap is relying on a single tool for the audit; no crawler captures every link. 

Also, failing to prioritize means you waste time on tiny, harmless links while obvious, harmful links remain. Finally, many site owners rush to disavow before attempting outreach — that hurts your case if you need to appeal a manual action.

How to replace toxic links with the strongest backlinks

Pull your strategy toward quality. The strongest backlinks typically come from editorial coverage, respected industry sites, universities, major publications, and well-curated resource pages. Create link-worthy assets such as original research, tools, comprehensive guides, and visualizations.

 Build relationships with journalists and niche bloggers, and offer value in guest contributions rather than payment. If you lost links in the cleanup process, prioritize reclaiming mentions, turning brand mentions into links, and pitching roundups or expert quotes that naturally earn citation.

Monitoring and prevention: keep your profile clean

Set up alerts for new referring domains and track anchor text trends. Use Google Search Console’s link reports alongside periodic exports from a third-party tool to spot anomalies. If you discover a sudden influx of low-quality links, act quickly: prioritize removal, document your outreach, and decide whether a disavow is necessary.

 Educate your site editors and contributors about risky link schemes so they avoid accepting paid links or shady partnerships. Over time, a small, consistent investment in link hygiene prevents large headaches.

A short hypothetical example

Imagine a mid-sized ecommerce site sees a 25 percent drop in organic revenue and a spike in referring links from low-quality directories. After exporting link data from Search Console and a third-party tool, the owner identifies 150 suspicious referring domains. They prioritize the top 40 most spammy domains and send removal requests. 

For the 20 that don’t respond, they prepare a disavow file and upload it to Search Console with supporting documentation. Over three months, organic traffic stabilizes and begins to recover as the site focuses on producing two in-depth buyer’s guides that attract editorial links from niche publications.

 The previously lost trust is gradually replaced by the strongest backlinks earned through content and outreach.

When to use the disavow tool (and when not to)

Disavow is for stubborn, unreachable links that are clearly manipulative and that you’ve already tried to remove manually. If links are low quality but not obviously part of a scheme, focus first on improving your own content and earning positive links. Misusing disavow can slow recovery if you accidentally ignore harmless links.

 Treat disavow as a last resort and always keep a backup copy of previous disavow files in case you need to adjust them.

Legal or ethical considerations

Never threaten or coerce webmasters during outreach. Always follow privacy laws when processing contact information, and be transparent when you publish content to attract links. Avoid buying links that pass PageRank; this can lead to penalties.

If a third party created a toxic mass of links to your site maliciously (negative SEO), document everything and consider seeking professional help from a reputable SEO firm with experience in link cleanup and appeals.

Conclusion

Learning how to remove bad backlinks is less about panic and more about process. A methodical approach — audit, prioritize, outreach, disavow as a last resort, document everything, and then rebuild with quality content that attracts the strongest backlinks — will protect your site and set you up for sustainable growth. 

Regular monitoring and a steady emphasis on earning editorial links reduce future risk and keep your site’s authority where it belongs: in the hands of real, relevant sites that cite your work because it deserves to be cited.

FAQ

How long does it take to recover after removing bad backlinks?

Recovery time varies widely. In many cases you’ll see improvements in weeks when the links were obviously manipulative and you’ve taken clear corrective action, but full recovery — especially after a manual action — can take several months. Recovery speed depends on the severity of the problem, the number of links, the quality of your new link-building efforts, and how quickly search engines recrawl the pages involved.

Will disavowing links hurt my site?

Disavowing carefully chosen, clearly harmful links will not hurt your site and can help if those links are suppressing your rankings. The risk lies in disavowing legitimate links by mistake. If you’re unsure, prioritize outreach and keep disavow for links you cannot remove and that you have documented as problematic.

Can I remove bad backlinks myself or should I hire someone?

Many site owners can perform the initial audit and outreach themselves if they are methodical and comfortable with spreadsheets and email outreach. If your profile is large, if you’ve received a manual action, or if you prefer legal-level documentation, hiring an experienced SEO or agency can speed the process and reduce the risk of mistakes.

What counts as a “bad backlink”?

A bad backlink is one that looks unnatural, comes from a site created to sell or swap links, originates from hacked or scraped pages, comes from a network of sites that interlink excessively, or uses manipulative anchor text. Links from low-quality directories or unrelated foreign sites with no editorial value often fall into this category.

How many links should I disavow?

There is no magic number. Disavow only the links you have identified as harmful and that you have tried to remove manually. Focus on high-risk domains first. A small, well-justified disavow file is preferable to a large, indiscriminate one.

Is it possible to prevent bad backlinks entirely?

You cannot prevent every bad backlink — some come from third parties and negative SEO. However, consistent audits, a strong content and PR program to earn the strongest backlinks, and good webmaster hygiene dramatically reduce the risk and impact of toxic inbound links.

Can I ask Google to remove links that I didn’t create?

Google does not remove links from the web; you must ask the linking site to remove them. The disavow tool tells Google to ignore those links for ranking, and a documented outreach/appeal can be included in a reconsideration request if you have a manual action.

Should I include domain-level or URL-level entries in a disavow file?

Both are allowed. Use domain-level disavows when many pages on a domain are harmful. Use URL-level disavows when the toxic links are isolated to specific pages. Be precise and include comments in the disavow file to explain your reasoning.